Clint Eastwood Answers Spike Lee’s Criticism
LOS ANGELES (Disassociated Press) May 22, 2008 – A spokesperson for Clint Eastwood has answered criticism leveled by Spike Lee regarding the lack of the presence of black U.S. Army soldiers in Eastwood’s two recent World War II films Flags of our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima.
Lee’s comments were made within the context of a discussion of his own shortly to be released World War II film, Miracle at St. Anna.
Historians estimate the number of black U.S. troops involved in the D-Day invasion as ranging between 1,000 and 2,000.
“Of course there were black soldiers in the movies,” stated Eastwood representative Sheila Whiels. “Do you remember those scenes that showed all those soldiers from the back, running off the boats and into the water toward the beach? Those were the black guys.”